ACAPS Briefing Note: Rural

Briefing Note – 27 January 2016 Key findings Moadamiyah and Anticipated Humanitarian needs in Moadamiyah and Darayya, besieged by Darayya, Rural Damascus scope and scale government forces, are expected to increase in severity the longer the towns are cut off from their surroundings. Severe shortages of food and

Besieged areas medicine are reported, and an unverified number of deaths linked to starvation has been reported. Frequent government airstrikes are further exacerbating the humanitarian situation. Need for international Not required Low Moderate Significant Major assistance X Priorities for  Food assistance Very low Low Moderate Significant Major humanitarian  Nutritional supplies Expected impact X intervention  Healthcare provision Crisis overview Humanitarian Humanitarian access is extremely constrained in the besieged areas of An estimated 50,000 people in Moadamiyah and Darayya towns in Darayya district, Rural constraints Rural Damascus. Moadamiyah has not been reached by assistance since Damascus governorate, are facing an increasingly deteriorating humanitarian situation. In late late December 2015, while UN agencies have been unable to reach

December, following a demand for opposition groups in the area to surrender, government forces Darayya since 2012. closed the last open road to Moadamiyah town. The towns cannot be reached by humanitarian organisations, and commercial supply routes are completely shut down.

Limitations Moadamiyah and Darayya are besieged areas, and no information is available from international

organisations on the current humanitarian situation in the areas due to lack of access. The vast majority of information in this note is gathered from activists and cannot be independently verified by ACAPS.

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ACAPS Briefing Note: Rural Damascus

What is a besieged area? Crisis impact A besieged area is defined by the UN as an area surrounded by armed actors with the sustained effect that humanitarian assistance cannot regularly enter and civilians cannot regularly exit the area. As of December Moadamiyah and Darayya towns, both in Darayya district, Rural Damascus (also referred to as 2015, an estimated 400,000 people are living in 15 besieged locations across , mainly in Deir-ez-Zor, Rif Dimashq) are facing an increasingly deteriorating humanitarian situation. According to the Idleb, and Rural Damascus governorates. The UN Security Council regularly updates its list of besieged UN Security Council, 6,000 people are currently in the besieged area of Darayya, while areas - the latest version, published 11 December 2015, can be found here. according to activists an estimated 12,000 people remain in Darayya town (Syria Direct 26/01/2016; UNSC 11/12/2015). Darayya town has not been reached by UN assistance since October 2012 (UNSC Protection: Government airstrikes are frequently reported in Darayya (UNSC 11/12/2015). 11/12/2015). No accurate figures are available on the current population of Moadamiyah, but an According to activists, more than 800 barrel bombs were dropped on Darayya in November alone estimated 45,000 people are believed to remain in the town (Al Jazeera 10/01/2016). (Syria Direct 07/12/2015). Activists in Moadamiyah report daily government airstrikes on the town (Al Jazeera 27/12/2015). Unverified reports claim that government forces used chemical weapons in On 26 December, government forces cut off the last open road leading into Moadamiyah, after an attack on Moadamiyah in December 2015 (ISW 31/12/2015; AFP 23/12/2015). demanding the unconditional surrender and withdrawal of opposition groups in the area (Al Jazeera 10/01/2016; 27/12/2015). The opposition groups present in the area, including Syrian Free Army Shelter and NFIs: According to activists in Darayya, a large amount of buildings in Darayya forces, have rejected the demand (Al Jazeera 27/12/2015). A localised ceasefire agreement between have been damaged as a result of frequent government airstrikes. The population has reportedly the government and opposition groups in the area has been in place since March 2014, but used wood found in the rubble of damaged houses as fuel, as no other means of heating and government forces have reportedly frequently violated its terms in recent months (Al Jazeera cooking are available (Syria Direct 26/01/2016; 07/12/2015; 21/09/2015). 27/12/2015). Vulnerable groups affected According to activists on the ground, the humanitarian situation has rapidly deteriorated in Moadamiyah since December, as government forces have reportedly completely halted the  Children and pregnant and lactating women are most vulnerable to undernutrition. delivery of food and medicine to the town (Washington Post 23/01/2016).  According to activists, a large number of people in Darayya have been injured and Food: Activists in Moadamiyah report the population is facing severe food shortages. Very high disabled in government airstrikes, leaving them particularly vulnerable and with very food prices are reported in the town: 1kg of rice reportedly costs USD 20. The population has limited access to healthcare. reportedly resorted to eating grass. In Darayya, heavy bombardment has reportedly resulted in Humanitarian constraints extensive damage to agricultural land, and large parts of the harvest has been lost (Syria Direct No humanitarian organisations have been allowed entry to Moadamiyah since late December 26/01/2016; Washington Post 23/01/2016). Food security is reported as a priority concern in all besieged 2015, while Darayya town has not been reached by UN agencies since 2012. Insecurity, areas, as commercial supplies through official routes remain blocked, leading to high prices of including frequent airstrikes, further hampers humanitarian assistance in Rural Damascus food and other commodities entering through unofficial or irregular supply routes (UNSC (Washington Post 23/01/2016; UNSC 11/12/2015). 11/12/2015).

Nutrition: Seven people in Moadamiyah have reportedly died from undernutrition since Contextual information December: five children, one woman, and one elderly man. Humanitarian organisations have been unable to verify these reports due to lack of access. Doctors present in the area report that Since the onset of conflict in 2011, more than 260,000 people have been killed, more than 4.6 women are increasingly struggling to breastfeed, due to undernutrition (Washington Post 23/01/2016). million Syrians have fled the country, and an estimated 6.6 million people are internally displaced (UNHCR 19/01/2016; OCHA 29/12/2015; SOHR 31/12/2015). Humanitarian needs are severe, Health: An acute shortage of medicines is reported in Moadamiyah. Only one field hospital is with an estimated 13.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Protection, WASH, reportedly still operating in Moadamiyah, and patients are unable to leave the town to seek and health are reported as priority needs (OCHA 29/12/2015). treatment elsewhere. A lack of equipment and specialised doctors is reported in Darayya (Washington Post 23/01/2016; Al Jazeera 10/01/2016; Syria Direct 07/12/2015). The grew out of protests against the Assad government in March 2011 – protests that were met with force and eventually led to members of the opposition taking up arms, further

spurred as thousands of members of the security forces defected and joined the armed opposition. By 2012, the conflict had evolved into a fully fledged civil war. The conflict was further compounded as new armed groups began seizing territory, including Kurdish groups in northern

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ACAPS Briefing Note: Rural Damascus

Syria, al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al Nusra (JN), and more recently, Islamic State (IS, also known Response capacity as ISIS). In September 2014, a US-led coalition began airstrikes on IS targets, and one year later Russia launched its first airstrikes in support of government forces. Moadamiyah and Darayya are controlled by opposition groups, and the government has no After nearly five years of conflict, Syria is de facto partitioned between the four major actors – access to the areas. As all routes into Moadamiyah and Darayya have been cut off by the Syrian government forces, Islamic State, Jabhat al Nusra, and Kurdish People’s Protection Units government since late December, no humanitarian organisations have been able to access the (YPG) – as well as numerous smaller armed groups and alliances (see map). areas. In Rural Damascus governorate, a range of international humanitarian organisations are present, in addition to a Syrian Arab Red Crescent regional branch (ICRC 14/01/2016; OCHA

29/12/2015). Key characteristics of Rural Damascus In 2015, UN agencies were only able to reach 1.5% of the population in besieged areas across In 2011, the population of Rural Damascus governorate was estimated at 2.84 million (OCHA Syria (OCHA 14/12/2015). 06/08/2014). Rural Damascus is divided into ten districts, including Darayya district, where both Population coping mechanisms Moadamiyah and Darayya towns are located. Trees, grapes, and grape leaves are reportedly used by the population for food in Darayya (Syria Moadamiyah: population 53,000 as of the 2004 census. An estimated 45,000 people remain in Direct 26/01/2016). According to activists, some food has been smuggled from neighbouring the town (Al Jazeera 10/01/2016; 2004 Census). Moadamiyah, but the smuggling routes are targeted by government forces (Syria Direct 26/01/2016). Darayya: population 79,000 as of the 2004 census. According to the UN, 6,000 people remain in the town, while activists put the number at 12,000 (Syria Direct 26/01/2016; UNSC 11/12/2015; 2004 Census). Information gaps and needs

An estimated 2.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Rural Damascus,  Extremely limited information is available on the humanitarian situation in including 1.3 million IDPs (OCHA 29/12/2015). Moadamiyah and Darayya, as humanitarian organisations cannot access the area. Protection: Family separation, loss/lack of documentation, and child labour are reported as  No accurate figures are available on the current population numbers in the two towns. priority protection concerns in Rural Damascus (OCHA 29/12/2015).  No information is available on number of displaced. Food security: 1.1 million people are in need of food assistance. Livelihoods have been severely affected due to challenges in accessing natural resources and shortages of agricultural inputs. Market access was already extremely limited in Darayya district in August 2015 (OCHA 29/12/2015; Lessons learned HNO Data 08/2015)  In 2013, Moadamiyah was besieged for almost a year. The siege reportedly resulted in Nutrition: 480,000 people are in need of nutritional assistance (OCHA 29/12/2015). the deaths of 16 people as a direct result of lack of food and medicine (Al Jazeera Health: 1.7 million people lack access to adequate healthcare facilities. Increased rates of 10/01/2016). After the local ceasefire that was implemented in March 2014, Moadamiyah waterborne diseases have been reported in Rural Damascus due to disruption of WASH was taken off the list of besieged areas (OCHA 11/2014). infrastructure and destruction of the healthcare system. The majority of the population in  In mid-January, Madaya town in Rural Damascus was reached following a UN- Darayya district did not have access to a health facility in August 2015 (OCHA 29/12/2015; HNO Data brokered deal, after having been without assistance since January 2015. The 08/2015). humanitarian needs were found to be severe: according to MSF, 35 people died of WASH: 2.1 million people lack access to adequate WASH facilities. Deliberate water cuts have starvation in the town between 1 December and mid-January. 1kg of rice was reported been used as a tactic of war in the governorate (OCHA 29/12/2015). to cost more than USD 200 (OCHA 17/01/2016; MSF 15/01/2016). Shelter and NFIs: 500,000 people are in need of shelter, and 1.4 million in need of NFIs.  Pressure from civilians, military stalemate, access to strategic resources, and exchange Compared to other governorates, Rural Damascus reports the most severe shelter needs (OCHA of prisoners are factors that have been found to contribute to localised ceasefires with 29/12/2015). positive humanitarian impact. Obstacles to implementing ceasefires include lack of independent mediators and monitors, lack of trust, military tactics, and regional interference (OCHA 08/2015).

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ACAPS Briefing Note: Rural Damascus

Maps

Source: ISW 31/12/2015; 23/12/2015 (Blue circles highlighting shift in control since September 2015).

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